Forked spike heel



y 3, 1952 E. DITTRICH 3,041,745

FORKED SPIKE HEEL Filed Aug. 11, 1961 INVENTOR.

atent 3,ll4l,745 Patented July 3, 1962 free ' 3,041,745 FORKED SPIKE HEEL Edward Dittrich, Rte. 2, Medford, Wis. Filed Aug. 11, 1961, Ser. No. 130,872 7 Claims. (Cl. 36-34) This invention relates generally to high heel shoes, and more particularly to a high heel such as a slender French or spike heel, terminating in a pair of laterally flared prongs.

The purpose of this invention is to eliminate the instability and unsteadiness attending the wearing of high heel shoes.

An object is to provide a shoe heel of greatly increased stability.

' Another object of this invention is the provision of a high heel shoe that results in a firm and steady walking gait, and that avoids a sidewise wobbly ankle action.

Still another object of this invention is the provision of a high shoe heel and lower end portion of which terminates in a pair of laterally flared prongs to increase the lateral stability of said high heel.

Yet another object is to provide a high heel for a shoe that provides a relatively firm heel base.

Other specific objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the figures thereof and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation View of a shoe embodying the high heel invention, in reduced scale;

'FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the high heel per se, shown in FIG. 1, substantially in full scale.

FIG. 3 is a rear elevation View of the heel shown in FIG. 2;

'FIG. 4 is a front elevation view of the heel shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a section view taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 6 is a section view taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 2.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate like or corresponding parts throughout the views thereof, there is shown in FIG. 1 a womens shoe including an upper 10, which may be constructed of any material suitable for the manufacture of shoes, such as leather, fabric, rubber, or the like. An outsole 11 may be attached to said upper by nailing, cementing, stitching or other means employed by the art of shoe manufacturing. Said outsole may be made of leather, rubber, plastic or any other suitable material.

An insole, not shown, may be attached to said upper in the usual manner.

A high, French or spike heel, or the like, generally indicated at 12, may be attached to said upper by means of cement, tacks, staples or the like. The spike heel can be constructed of any suitable material sufficiently firm to support functioning body weight and impact, and possessing properties and characteristics that permit shap ing to fit the shoe. For example, wood, leather, cork, fibre compositions, rubber compositions, plastic, and the like will be found suitable. Obviously, the spike heel may be left in its natural state, or it may be enameled or otherwise coated or covered with leather, fabric, or the like.

The spike heel, at the point of ground contact, may be soled as at 13 with rubber, leather, metal, or the like.

The spike heel 12 comprises the usual general slender high heel configuration having an enlarged upper portion 14 for weight bearing distribution, and for widespread attachment of the. heel to the shoe upper 10, and reduced, slender, necked-down lower portion 15.

The heel is generally half round in cross section, that is, the front face of the heel is generally flat such as indicated at 16 of FIG. 5, and the rear face is rounded such as indicated at 17.

Said lower slender portion is bifurcated and terminates in a pair of laterally flared or laterally spread prongs 18 and 19, thereby achieving greatly increased lateral stability, while maintaining a slender and delicate appearance.

The spaced prongs 18 and 19 have a generally quarter round cross section as shown in FIG. 6, said prongs being oppositely disposed, the flat faces thereof confronting each other and the curved faces being outwardly disposed.

In ordinary walking, the forward shoe first strikes the ground with the heel thereof, followed by the ball of the foot and toe portions contacting the ground.

With a conventional spike heel, the heel strikes the ground first with single point or very small area contact, followed by the ball of the foot area contacting the ground. This results, in effect, in a two point base, on one foot, for balancing the body weight during the ordinary walking operation. While the area under the ball of the foot is relatively wide, the spike heel area is relatively narrow providing little aid in lateral balancing, especially considering the height of a spike heel which is often three inches.

The present improved two prong spike heel provides a laterally spaced two point contact of the heel prongs ,With the ground. Such laterally spaced two point contact of the heel provides initial firmness in a step, and later steadiness when the ball of the foot contacts the ground, resulting in a stable three point base for balancing the body weight during the walking operation.

Obviously the improved three point walking base offers much greater sidewise or lateral stability than the conventional two point walking base. It should be further noted that the improved stability. is not achieved through structural bulkiness, but is achieved through. means of better and more efiicient placement of the material comprising a heel, that is, placing the heel material where it will do the most good. The final result is an improved heel having increased stability with no loss of the slender eye appeal.

In the appended claims the words high heel will be understood to encompass slender heels of the French and spike type, or the like.

A characteristic feature of this invention is the provision of a spike heel terminating in a pair of laterally flared and spaced prongs for greatly increasing the lateral stability of such spike heel.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood, that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed and desired to be protected by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a shoe having a heel, the lower end portion of said heel terminating in a pair of spaced and laterally flared portions to increase the lateral stability of said heel, the terminal portions of said flared portions extending outwardly beyond the beginning portions of said flared portions.

2. In a shoe having a high heel, the lower end portion of said high heel terminating in a pair of laterally flared prongs to increase the lateral stability of said high heel, the terminal portions of said prongs extending outwardly beyond the beginning portions of said prongs, and the lateral sides of said heel comprising curved surfaces eX- tending upwardly and inwardly from the end portions of said prongs, respectively.

3. In a shoe having a spike heel, the lower end portion of said spike heel terminating in a pair of laterally flared prongs to increase the lateral stability of said spike heel, the terminal portions of said prongs extending outwardly beyond the beginning portions of said prongs, and the lateral sides of said heel comprising curved surfaces extending upwardly and inwardly from the bottom to the top of said heel.

4. A shoe heel, the lower end portion of said shoe heel terminating in a pair of spaced and laterally flared portions to increase the lateral stability of said shoe heel, the terminal portions of said flared portions extending outwardly beyond the beginning portions of said flared portions.

5. A high heel for a shoe, the lower portion of said high'heel terminating in a pair of laterally flared prongs to increase the lateral stability of said high heel, the terminal portions of said prongs extending outwardly beyond the beginning portions of said prongs, and the lateral sides of said heel comprising curved surfaces extending upwardly and inwardly from the end portions of said'prongs, respectively.

6. A spike heel for a shoe, the lower end portion of said spike heel terminating in a pair of laterally flared prongs to increase the lateral stability of said spike heel,

the terminal portions "of saidprongs extendingoutwardly beyond the beginning portions of said prongs, and the lateral sides of said heel comprising curved surfaces extending upwardly and inwardly from the bottom of said prongs to a zone adjacent the beginning portions of said prongs and thence upwardly and outwardly to the top of said heel.

7. In a shoe, a French-heel for said shoe, substantially the lower third portion of said French heel comprising a pair of laterally flared prongs to increase the lateral stability of said French heel, the terminal portions of said prongs extending outwardly beyond the beginning portions of said prongs, and the lateral and rear sides of said heel comprising continuously curved surfaces extending upwardly and inwardly from the bottom of said prongs to a zone adjacent the beginning portions of said prongs and thence upwardly and outwardly to the top of said heel, and the inner surfaces of said prongs being substantially parallel to the outer surfaces.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Shuford Jan. 4, 1944 Korda May 26, 1942 

